After his rather impressive interception against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday in Week Seven action at SoFi Stadium, Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt put himself in some elite company.
Though he didn’t have a sack on the day and generated just two total pressures while recording his lowest pass rush grade of the season from Pro Football Focus, Watt became just the fourth player in NFL history with 85-plus sacks, 25-plus forced fumbles and seven interceptions since the league made sacks an official statistic in the 1982 season, joining Julius Peppers, Terrell Suggs and Jason Taylor.
He also put himself in the same statistical production category with Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor, becoming just the second player in NFL history with 70-plus sacks and seven interceptions in his first seven seasons in the league.
Quite the company to hold.
Watt’s production and ability to do anything asked of him, whether that’s defending the run, dropping into coverage or rushing the passer, has former Steelers’ cornerback Ike Taylor lavishing rather lofty praise on Watt.
In the latest episode of the “Bleav In Steelers” podcast with co-host Mark Bergin, Taylor stated that Watt is “Troy Polamalu on the line of scrimmage.”
“When you want to talk about a guy who can take over a game, if you need a sack, if you need a forced fumble, if you need a pick, if you need a touchdown, call T.J. Watt. He’s going to answer for you. It’s year after year, and it’s been this way since he stepped into the league,” Taylor said Monday to Bergin, according to video via Bergin’s YouTube page. “It’s hard to find a guy who can play outside linebacker … hit like a linebacker, but have the instincts like a safety and catch picks like a corner and he plays on the front line? You don’t find them guys.
“Them Micah Parsons, them Nick Bosas, them [Myles] Garretts, them guys we like? Once they’re on the line of scrimmage, they are getting to the quarterback, but they’re not doing what Watt is asked to do. …T.J., man, he’s Troy Polamalu but on the line of scrimmage. You don’t find them kind of people that instinctive that close to the line of scrimmage. Luckily for Pittsburgh though, we’ve got him.”
Those instincts, that ability to make splash plays consistently and do it in a number of ways from sacks, forced fumbles, interceptions and touchdowns, can’t really be replicated by other top EDGE defenders in the NFL.
That’s what separates Watt from the pack, at least from this writer’s perspective. All those other guys are great, stars in their own rights.
But what Watt is asked to do snap to snap, those other guys simply can’t replicate it.
Calling him Troy Polamalu at the line of scrimmage is high praise, but it’s not far off. Watt is on a Hall of Fame pace based on sacks alone. Add the interceptions, forced fumbles, fumble recoveries and more into the discussion and it’s quite clear they should start working in the bronze bust now.
Of course, Polamalu was that same game wrecker, just with the ability to line up all over the field, legitimately, from in the box, off the edge, in the slot, deep safety, you name it. Anywhere he was, he was making plays. In his tenure with the Steelers from 2003-14, Polamalu recorded 32 interceptions, 14 forced fumbles, seven fumble recoveries and 12.0 sacks and had two defensive touchdowns.
He was the “Tasmanian Devil,” and offenses feared him. Watt doesn’t have a cool nickname like Polamalu did, but offenses fear him just the same.
